For several years I have used curl to extract data from our library catalog
in XML format, using a command like this:

curl http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:1084/xrecord=b1166965

This returns data like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE IIIRECORD SYSTEM
"http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:1084/dtd/iiirecord.dtd">
<IIIRECORD>

[XML data snipped out of here]

</IIIRECORD>

The library catalog is Innovative Interfaces Inc's Millennium
<http://www.iii.com/>.

I am using the version of curl installed as part of Mac OS X.
For some time this has been version 7.13.1.
In March 2008, Apple released a security update (Security Update 2008-002)
that installed curl version 7.16.3.

After that, curl returned no data from our library catalog.

I have tried both the verbose and trace options.
For example, the verbose option command:

curl -v http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:1084/xrecord=b1166965

returns:

* About to connect() to www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au port 1084 (#0)
* Trying 143.216.21.3... connected
* Connected to www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au (143.216.21.3) port 1084 (#0)
> GET /xrecord=b1166965 HTTP/1.1
> User-Agent: curl/7.16.3 (powerpc-apple-darwin9.0) libcurl/7.16.3
OpenSSL/0.9.7l zlib/1.2.3
> Host: www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au:1084
> Accept: */*
>
< HTTP/1.1 200 OK
< Server: III 100
< Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 05:20:42 GMT
< Expires: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 05:20:42 GMT
< Pragma: no-store
< Set-Cookie: SESSION_ID=1212643242.7665; path=/
< Content-Type: text/xml
<
* Connection #0 to host www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au left intact
* Closing connection #0

and the option trace-ascii returns roughly the same.

But from this output, I can't see why curl doesn't get the library catalog
data.
I can't tell if trying any other options would help.

I have reverted to the older version of curl on my Mac and that has allowed
me to get the library data again, so I know that this issue results from a
change between versions 7.13.1 and 7.16.3.
I have read through the change log but I couldn't spot anything relevant.
I don't see the workaround of reverting to the older version as a long-term
solution as we are about to get new Macintoshes, all of which will have curl
version 7.16.3 installed, and I am worried that continuing to revert to
version 7.13.1 will eventually cause other problems.

Can anyone identify the source of this problem and/or suggest a solution?

Thanks

Peter Jenkins
Coordinator Web Services
State Library of South Australia
Received on 2008-06-05